SUNDAY DINNER/PORTERHOUSE STEAK

We begin with a 1.5 pound 1 inch Steak. Bring this to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking but no more than one hour ( not all day on the counter..use common sense) Preheat oven to 375 degrees while steak is on the counter. When ready to cook pat both sides of steak with paper towel and take 2 Tablespoons of Olivel Oil and brush both sides of the steak. Take a cast iron skillet (a must..no substitutions) heat on high, sprinkle steak with Johnny's season salt and put in pan for 2 minutes, using tongs (no forks allowed) turn steak over and cook another 2 minutes. Now put it into the oven for about 6 minutes less if you want it rare or med rare..I would say start with 4 minutes and go from there . Take out of oven and put on a plate where it will sit for 5 minutes...do not eat before sitting time is up or you will lose the juices going back into the meat. You might have to make it a couple of times to get it to the exact way you like it but I enjoyed it everytime until I got to that point. Ovens also vary so if you know your oven that will help you to be more successful. This is a fairly quick meal and if you add your favorite side dishes a real treat.

Here I made mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream then added chopped green onions so it was like a baked potato but quicker then a can of french green beans and dinner was ready in 30 minutes

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HERSHEY'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT DESSERT

There are three parts to this recipe and each part has to cool so allow extra time for this. I like to make these on a day when I am going to be home because of the cooling time.

BROWNIE

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

4 eggs

1 -16 ounce can Hershey's syrup

(about 1-1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Mix sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffly. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in chocolate syrup and flour( do not over mix) Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes( top may appear wet but don't over bake) top should spring back when it is done. Cool about 2-3 hours

CREAMY MINT LAYER

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring

6 drops green food coloring

1 tablespoon water

Cream the buter and sugar until blended. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. Spread over brownie layer and cool in the refigerator about 1-2 hours.

CHOCOLATE CREAM LAYER

1/2 cup butter

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt chocolate and buter until a smooth consistency.

You may do this in the microwave or on top of the stove in a double boiler. I used a glass measuring cup that can be used in a microwave. I did 15 seconds, stirred and did 15 seconds stir until the butter and chocolate were smooth.. Be careful not to over cook do short times in your microwave or you will burn the chocolate. When smooth spread over cream layer, carefully spreading so you don't mix the cream and choclate layers.

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These are great at Holiday times like Christmas or St. Patricks day. You may use a different food color like red if you were going to make them for Valentines Day and you may also experiment with different flavors. I did try substituting white chocolate but didn't have success. I will try this again using white choclate chips and see if it will work that way.

CHERRY ALMOND FUDGE

3 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup evaporated milk

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Add the almond extract to the cherries in their juice and set aside. Toast the almonds in a 350 degree oven. Put them on an aluminum foil lined pan and check every 5 minutes, stir and go another 5 minutes until they are lightly browned. It could take another few minutes depending on your oven. Set aside to cool. Now drain the cherries, try to get as much of the liquid out as possible as this will make the fudge a little gooey where the cherries are. I cut my cherries in half and that helped, now for the fudge part.

I used a 11x7x1.5 inch glass pyrex pan lined with foil coming up over the edge so you can lift out the fudge after it cools, be sure to butter the foil so your fudge doesn't stick. You may use any pan around 9 or 10 inches. I think a 13 x 9 inch would be a bit big and make the fudge to thin. You want to use a heavy 3 quart sauce-pan for cooking the fudge. Melt the butter, add the sugar and milk, mix well. Now put on a medium heat and bring to a boil. Keep stirring or it might burn. If you have a candy thermometer it should reach 234 degrees and take off the heat, otherwise bring to a boil and boil for about 4 minutes now, take off the heat, mix in the chocolate and marshmallow creme this will take a few minutes. You want to make sure it is mixed really good. I add the chocolate first mix that in and then the marshmallow creme and mix that in. Add the cherries, vanilla and almonds when mixed good pour into prepared pan and let it cool. I store it in the refrigerator. (it gets a little hard so when I want to eat some I take a little out and let it sit at room temperature) It will make around 3 pounds of fudge and the time frame for preparing would be around 30-45 minutes. I always allow an hour just in case something doesn't go as planned. It is best if you don't have any inturptions when making candy it is a very sensitive thing to make and needs concentration. If you are in a humid climate you might have to adjust your cooking time and go a few degrees higher or boil for a couple extra minutes this is hard for me to say exactly because it really depends on you particular situation. If you make it a few times you can usually figure it out and if it fails it is still very good as a topping so you won't have to throw it out(unless you burn it)

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ENJOY

CARAMEL APPLE FRENCH TOAST

Apple Topping

4 gala apples peeled and cut into large cubes

4 tablespoos butter

4-6 tablespoons brown sugar

In a cast iron fry pan melt butter, add apples then brown sugar. (mix and toss until well blended) Heat should be between med low and med depending on your stove-top. I start out on medium and cook for a few minutes then turn it down to med-low and finish cooking. Stir every so often to make sure all apples cook and liquid reduces to a caramel like texture this will take around 20-30 minutes so I make this first and keep it warm while making the french toast. Be careful with the heat you do not want to burn the apples.

French Toast

4 slices cottage bread

2 cage free brown eggs

1/2 cup cream

1-3 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Whiped cream for topping

Hot caramel for topping

beat the eggs with the cream then add sugar and vanilla mix well

dip bread into mixture and cook in a fry pan, I use cast iron coated with a equal parts butter and oil, but be careful not to burn the butter cook on both sides. Put on plate butter bread and sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with apples. Drizzle with hot caramel , top with whipped cream and drizzle with more hot caramel.

You can find the hot caramel in the ice cream section of the grocery store or you may make your own if you have time. I started making this recipe with a canned apple I found at Walmart but sometimes those products have a bit of an after taste(funny flavor) so this time I tried making my own apple topping and it was worth it ,the flavor was great. This is a cottage favorite and so far all guests seem to enjoy it. It is a very sweet breakfast item so you may want to add some bacon or sausage and hot coffee or orange juice to help balance the sweetness.

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PLEASE ENJOY

ROASTED ALMONDS

I am always looking for a healthy snack. I have to eat small meals or snacks six times a day so it makes a difference what I choose. I happen to be at Target and picked up a small bag of roasted almonds $.99 for about 2 oz. This got me thinking so today I tried to make them myself.

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1 cup raw almonds

a little salt and a little olive oil

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preheat oven to 400 degrees

On a small cookie sheet sprinkle the olive oil. Place almonds on and toss ,then put in oven.

Bake for 5 minutes and toss again. Bake another 5 minutes. They should be close to being done. If you need a little more time go every 2 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle with sea salt.

I love the way they turned out and I like them better than the store bought. I now have a snack ready to go and because I buy my raw almonds in bulk at Sam's Club I save money. You can control the amount of oil and salt to what ever your needs are.
Almonds make a really good protein snack and have been helping me not feel so tired...you might want to give these a try.

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ENJOY!

CHRISTMAS SPINACH SALAD

12 cups bitesize pieces of spinach

(Iused half spinach and half romaine)

2 cups sliced strawberries

2 cups honeydew melon balls

1/2 cup toasted pecans

(broken or whole)

1/2 cup Gouda ( cubed or sliced)

Toss all ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to use

DRESSING

I used a Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing from the produce section of my grocery store.
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I found this recipe in an older Betty Crocker holiday magazine you see displayed near the checkout at your favorite grocery store. I changed it a little and didn't use the dressing they suggested. I think it was good and a healthier version side for my Christmas dinner. Also good if you have vegetarians at your Holiday dinner.

WINTER MIX

3 cups rice chex

3 cups corn chex

1 cup small pretzel twists

1 cup peanuts

2 12-ounce packages white chocolate chips(Ghirardelli)

1 12-ounce package m&m's ( I only found an 8 ounce)

Mix together cereals, pretzels, peanuts and M&M's in a large bowl. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler and stir until smooth. Pour over mixture in the bowl and toss gently until well coated. Spread on wax paper lined cookie sheets and let cool. When cool break up into pieces and store in an airtight container ( not in a warm area because of the chocolate... a pantry cupboard should be ok)

Makes about 16 one cup servings

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I found this recipe in a Midwest Living magazine but changed it a little. They used honey-roasted peanuts and I did not have any. I also substiuted white chocolate chopped for the chips because I had a 2.5 pound bar to use up I bought for Christmas baking and didn't use it. I used a little more than half the bar, chopped. It was Ghirardelli bought at Sams club. I am only able to get the white chocolate chips in the winter near the Holidays so I buy a few extra bags to have throughout the year. This would make a great Hostess Gift. My family really liked this one and it did not last long.

~ENJOY~